UNION RIGHTS

Southland Times, Issue 20950, 6 December 1929, Page 6

UNION RIGHTS

IJII’OIITANT CASE

LIMITATION OF MEMBERSHIP

A WATERSIDER’S CLAIM

(Per United Press Association.)

Christchurch, December 5.

A case of interest to the whole of New Zealand was heard in the Supreme Court this morning. It involves the legality of industrial unions limiting their membership to a fixed number, and applies particularly to the waterside workers at the main ports. The limitation referred to is authorized by the award of the Arbitration Court.

Edward Gillard, a waterside worker at Lyttelton, before Mr Justice Adams, sued the Committee of Management of the Lyttelton Waterside Workers’ Union for £5O damages for loss of work during the past year. He asked for an order that the committee should admit him as a member of the union, and accept the fees tendered by him. The statement of claim said: “Defendants have without just cause excluded plaintiff from obtaining the privileged status conferred by membership of the said union, and which status plaintiff is entitled by law to acquire; and plaintiff has been victimized by defendants, deprived of work, and caused much damage by defendant’s determination to prevent him from acquiring the said status.” It was alleged plaintiff first applied for membership on September 15, 1928, tendering the entrance fee of 5/- and the halfyearly subscription of 15/-. He had repeated the application several times without success.

For the defence it. was argued that the union roll was limited to 700 members, and there were no vacancies. Gillard alleged that, the number on the roll on the date of the application and on many subsequent dates had been below 700. Plaintiff in evidence said he had gone to law only after repeated refusals of admission to membership. He had been told that once he had a chance of admission, but he never would be admitted if he went to law.

For the defence, John Hood, secretary of the union, denied that Gillard tendered the proper fees when he applied for admission.

The case was adjourned till to-morrow.